Hydrilla poses a serious threat to the Finger Lakes and the local economy, and a plan to fight it must be developed immediately, U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer said Tuesday.

Schumer summoned representatives from the EPA, Army Corps of Engineers and Fish and Wildlife Service to Watkins Glen for a conference with local officials on hydrilla, an invasive aquatic species that was discovered in the Cayuga Lake inlet last year.

“Our purpose is to develop a long-term plan to fight a growing scourge,” Schumer said. “It’s imperative that we map out a strategy to safeguard the local economy and the lifeblood of the region, which is the beautiful Finger Lakes.”

According to the Hydrilla Task Force of the Cayuga Lake Watershed, hydrilla is one of the most invasive aquatic species in the world.

It grows six to eight inches a day, forming dense mats that block sunlight, suck up oxygen and kill native plants and fish. It also takes over waterfowl feeding and fish spawning areas.

As for its impact on humans, it can interfere with boating, swimming and fishing, lower lakefront property values, and block intakes at water treatment facilities and power plants, according to the Hydrilla Task Force.

It spreads easily, often when a fragment of the plant snags on a boat that is taken to another lake.

That may be how it arrived in the Cayuga inlet that runs through Ithaca, officials say.

Not long after it was first discovered last August by a high school girl doing a science project, hydrilla made its presence felt.

“It grew so quickly that by late September the Cornell crew team could no longer use Cayuga inlet after having raced on that waterway for 130 years,” Schumer said.

The task force attacked it aggressively, treating the plants with herbicides, harvesting it by hand, and laying down barrier mats on the inlet bottom. Still, officials in Ithaca estimate it will take $1 million annually for the next 5 to 8 years to contain and eradicate the hydrilla.

They’ve put up signs and checkpoints at boat launches and started a campaign to inform the public.

If it starts appearing in other Finger Lakes such as Seneca, it could be a bigger threat than other invasive species such as Eurasian water milfoil or zebra mussels, and could greatly impact the recreation and tourism that drives the local economy, Schumer said.

Hydrilla got out of control in the state of Florida, which now has to spend $30 million annually to “mow” the weeds, Schumer added.

“Simply put, we need all hands on deck to eradicate hydrilla where it exists and prevent it from spreading anywhere else,” he said. “We have to establish long-term preventative measures.”

Once a plan is crafted between local, state and federal agencies, Schumer said he will push for funding.

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“My job will be to use some muscle, whatever clout I have, to get the help and funding that you need for it,” he told them.